Isolated Happenings: Act I - Act II
by Sacchi Hikaru
Summary: Several isolated happenings between Act I (Eastern Wonderland) and Act II (The Twelve Talismans) of Digital Prophecy. They are as important to the story as everything else.
1. Secrets

_(This scene takes place during the first chapter of Gray Desires, "Possibility")_

September 5th  
Saturday, 2020  
4:02PM

He opened his eyes, he had gotten unused to the transportation process, his ears rang painfully and his vision was blurry, he dared not to move.

However, both symptoms were quickly vanishing, as his vision focused the very first thing he noticed was the dark blue floor right under him, it stretched forward a little before opening into an enormous square-shaped platform.

Though he thought that his vision was still bad, once it fully focused, he noticed that this place was… Almost pitch black. As far as he looked there was nothing but darkness as far as the eye could see. He could occasionally see other, smaller and circle-shaped platforms floating in the distance; he quickly noticed these platforms were not attached to any "ground" in particular.

The place had an almost oppressive atmosphere, though the man – Sacchi – had been called here, and he was certain it was for a good reason.

Despite that, recent events had made him wary of anything involving this place, he put his blade at the ready, his guard needed to always be up.

He walked forward slowly, entering the square-shaped part of the platform, he could barely hear his footsteps… Or his breathing. It was like sound was almost nonexistent in this place, either that, or he was getting increasingly paranoid.

He looked around cautiously, expecting… _Something_ to jump out from the darkness. He was not going to let his guard dow—

He felt himself hit something, almost if like he had just walked into a wall he did not see. He took a few steps back and brandished his sword with both hands. Was that an invisible wall? Or something else entirely?

However, his question was quickly answered as a small light started to shine above him, the light shone a few meters off the ground, and though there seemed to be no source for that, it was there, and it was growing stronger.

Though the light started to fade out quickly, around it Sacchi could see movement… A spinning movement. His blade was still at the ready as the light faded from view; to reveal that it wasn't exactly the light that was fading, but rather, something black was covering it.

Closer inspection revealed it to be an enormous spinning crystal, almost towering above him, he could feel… _Something_, from this crystal. It was living. It was breathing, pulsating. There was a definitive power to it, though what _kind_ or even the magnitude of the power, Sacchi could not identify.

Though he was certain he had felt that kind of power before, recently.

"There's no need to be scared." Came a voice in his head, the mechanical voice ringing to his ears and almost making him shudder, though he kept him composure. "Who are you?" Sacchi asked, "And _where_ are you?"

"Right in front of you."

Sacchi looked directly at the crystal, the energy pulsating from it felt… Familiar. He was struggling to remember where he had felt it before, something made him scared of that energy, and yet…

"I am The Prophecy." The voice spoke again, "I was the one who called you here."

Sacchi's eyes looked to the crystal from bottom to top, his stance relaxed a little, though the energy coming from it was still menacing to the warrior. "_You_ are The Prophecy?"

A laugh came, "What were you expecting?"

Sacchi sighed in relief, he quickly stood up straight again and sheathed his blade, "I guess I shouldn't be amazed that you chose such an… Unorthodox form."

The voice laughed again.

Sacchi shook his head, though a small smile was in his lips, "So, why did you call me here?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Confirm your suspicions." The voice replied, "And to congratulate you on your new title." He continued.

Sacchi frowned, "I always knew there was more to you than simple legends." He answered, "I never thought you would be an agent of the Boundary, though."

"Not an agent." The voice answered, "An _extension_ of the Boundary." It continued, "How else could I create the world you see now?"

"I suppose that's true." Sacchi laughed, "So you're pretty much the embodiment of creation? Guess I should've expected that too, considering how nutty my life has been so far."

"I must ask though." The Prophecy replied, "Now that you've been given such an honor, what do you intend to do with it?" it asked.

Sacchi looked at his hands, he sighed as he remembered the contract he had signed not a day ago, "I don't know." He said, "There was a trial… I guess you're supposed to tell me about it?" he asked.

"No I'm not." The Prophecy answered, "The trial will present itself to you… In time."

Sacchi sighed, "Then I've got no clue… I think I'm going to hone my powers until it comes to me, then." He then looked up to the crystal again, "Until then, live my life as normal, I guess?"

"You don't sound sure." The Prophecy replied.

Sacchi simply shook his head and smiled, "What is _ever_ sure in the life I live? A week ago I was thinking I was never going to leave that place, look where I am now." He replied, chuckling.

"Sacchi!" came a voice from behind, Sacchi looked back to see a light-gray lizard approaching him, Sacchi smiled and kneeled as it approached, "BlackGuilmon…" he said.

"Godammit, where were you?!" BlackGuilmon replied, "You've been gone for two years!" he continued as he made a stop in front of his partner.

"I've been…" Sacchi cleared his throat, "…Running, I guess you could say." He then shook his head, and smiled. "But I'm back now, and that's what matters."

Sacchi patted BlackGuilmon on the head, the gentle petting almost making BlackGuilmon blush, he'd never admit it, but Sacchi was the only one who could do that to the battle-hardened warrior. "I'm glad you're back." He said, "I almost thought you died."

"When have I ever been easy to kill?" Sacchi replied, laughing. BlackGuilmon laughed in response, "Have you been a good boy while I've been gone?" Sacchi asked.

"What the hell am I? A child?" BG replied, "You're not my father." And despite his answer, BlackGuilmon smiled.

"I guess we gotta go back and warn the others that you're back." BlackGuilmon said, smiling that his partner was finally, _finally_ back.

"Not yet, no." Sacchi replied, BlackGuilmon tilted his head. "Why not?" he asked.

"There's something I need to do before I go back." Sacchi answered, "It should take a few days at most, but I also wanted to ask you something."

BlackGuilmon frowned, "What is it?"

"I've been… Patrolling, I guess you could say." Sacchi answered, "And I've noticed a possible loose end." He continued.

"I don't know if this loose end is going to be severe or not, but something tells me it's best for us to be prepared." He said, "I wanted your help in case fighting breaks out." He spoke.

BlackGuilmon looked downwards, but shook his head, "Fine." He said, "You're coming after that's over?" he asks.

Sacchi nodded.

"Now, I believe I need to be somewhere else." Sacchi said, getting up, "It was good meeting you again, though." He smiled.

BlackGuilmon forced a smile. "It was good meeting you too, Sacchi."

Sacchi then waved a hand to BlackGuilmon and snapped his fingers, almost if expecting something to happen. He snapped them twice more, before shrugging "I guess I'll have to take a more normal way out." He looked back, towards the crystal. "Mind helping?"

Sacchi was then enveloped in a red light as his body quickly faded in Data Particles, moments passed before Sacchi was gone, leaving the "Zone X" and Machine Pit entirely.

BlackGuilmon sighed, "What is it, BlackGuilmon?" The Prophecy asked.

BlackGuilmon shook his head, "Must he be so selfish?" he replied, "It's been _two years_, he could at least stay and talk." He continued.

"It's just human nature, you understand." The Prophecy replied, BlackGuilmon raised his head, "I thought Sacchi was different." he took a small pause, "I guess not."

"Are you aware of what happened?" The Prophecy asked, BlackGuilmon turned around, looking to the never-ending darkness of the Zone. "Yes." He replied.

"I was not aware that he was back, but I am aware of his new… 'title'." He grunted in annoyance.

"He's growing." The Prophecy spoke, BlackGuilmon looked back to the crystal, "You say that as if it was a good thing." He said, "We both know it's not."

"I wonder how much time it will take before he realizes this title is more of a burden than it seems." The Prophecy asked.

"Some, at least." BlackGuilmon answered, "What happened to the last one?" he asked.

"Driven insane." The Prophecy replied, "And eventually turned into a spirit." It continued.

BlackGuilmon shook his head, "Sacchi's taken a one-way street and he doesn't even realize it." He spoke, then he looked at the Crystal firmly, frowning towards it, "You think he'll make it?" The Prophecy asked.

"I don't know." He replied, "I'll help as much as I can, but we both know it's his trial, his fate, not mine." He continues.


	2. Trust

_(This scene takes place between the second and third chapters of Gray Desires, "Weary" and "Flight", respectively.)_

September 7th  
Monday,2020  
3:52AM

I felt the transportation end, though I made no effort to open my eyes, not yet.

What had just happened was not something I was going to ever expect, and yet…

I rub my eyes and look to the right, seeing Takato's sleeping figure in the bed, he slept soundly, almost happily.

And yet I was the one man who would know how unhappy Takato really was.

I looked back to see the note he had left by the computer, taking it in paw, I read it quickly.

_Waited until midnight for you to come back, you didn't so I went to sleep._

_Your dinner's in the microwave._

_-Takato_

I couldn't help but smile at my partner's sleeping figure as he inhaled and exhaled almost serenely.

I left the bedroom, going in a straight line until the living room and then taking a right, into the kitchen. The small kitchen fitted for two people was clean, the dishes had been washed and I could faintly hear the washing machine in the neighboring room cleaning Takato's clothing.

_He's been working._ I thought, moving forward a little to the microwave and punching in one minute.

_Veemon._ I thought. _Despite everything you've done to me and to Takato, you still care._

The microwave warned that the food was ready, and I opened it to the best of my abilities and took the plate in hands. _Juicy stake for the evening huh…_

I sat down on the table and started to munch on it, taking it in my claws and eating every piece of it like an animal would. It's not like I care about manners at the table when I'm alone anyway.

_He was a great help back then…_

His thoughtful advice, the fact that he stayed to talk with me even when I cleaned, him respecting my privacy…

_Can I ever, truly forgive him?_

Though honestly, that is not a question I can ever truly answer.

Before I know it, my food is already done. I feel filled. But as much as I'm tired and sleepy, I feel… Restless.

Leaving my plate at the table, I go back to the Living room, the two Sofas and the medium-sized TV being a much better thing than what most people would have. The entrance is directly to my right, obviously, it's locked.

And to my left? Mine and Takato's bedroom.

I walk towards it again, Takato still sleeping as soundly as he once was, I cross both of my arms in front of me, putting them to rest in the bed, and put my muzzle on them. My face, inches from Takato's.

_What I wouldn't do to have the two of us be together, Takato._

I weave a small sigh as I keep looking at him. He seems to comfort himself a little closer to me. "Guilmon…" he calls out my name, but as I wait expectantly, he never follows it up. Still, a smile appears on my lips. He dreams about me, despite everything.

I look upwards, seeing the window open. It's cold, but as Takato is using his winter pajamas, he probably expected what I am about to do.

In one swift movement, I jump to the bed and take enough impulse to jump out of the window… And swiftly land on the fire escape.

The old fire escape makes a noise as I land on it, but I quickly move upwards, climbing the stairs like the wind, reaching the topmost floor in under a minute.

From there, all it takes is one jump to reach the roof.

As I finally reach the roof I look at the sky, the beautiful moon in a starry sky, such a different view than that of the Digital World.

I take several steps forward, being right at the middle of the roof, and sit down, I look to the right, and through my night vision I can just barely see another apartment block maybe two or so miles from here.

Veemon lives there.

The help he gave me today was invaluable, advice I would never have gotten otherwise, he said I should be able to trust Takato unconditionally, and him to trust me just as much… I have no reason to doubt Takato, but… Does he trust me as much as I trust him?

Takato and I have always laid our problems on each other, but that was when we were just friends, just… Brothers. Now? I don't know what would count as "laying problems".

This has been going for five and a half years now, and yet me and him are still virgins, so many things stop us from having sex, and yet… Sometimes I think if I'm the best option for him.

It's not my fault, it's not his fault, it's not anybody's, but does he really want a digimon lover? A race that is nowadays shunned by society even more than homosexuals were ten years ago?

I feel like I'm forcing myself on him, like if I'm being the only option ever available to him, and I don't want that, above everything, I want him _happy._

Veemon… Veemon. What should I do about him? It's obvious he wants to make amends, and honestly, it's been so long that… I can't really see myself snapping at him anymore. Not how like I used to do. But he did something horrible, he deserves all my hate.

And yet, I can't bring myself to truly hate him.

But would Takato forgive Veemon? Takato was the victim after all. If I forgave Veemon, that would mean next to nothing. Worse, Takato could think that I was siding with Veemon against him, which is not true at all.

Takato still suffers a lot from these nightmares. Veemon gave Takato a permanent scar, if not worse. I still have to console him a lot. Would Takato forgive Veemon? I honestly can't tell. Takato was always one of a forgiving heart, but everyone has limits, and especially with the circumstances…

…These damn circumstances. Takato's conditions pretty much forces me to be here with him all the time, and yet I can't, I have to work on the cleanup of this damn war…

The damn war. Why did that have to happen? Just why? Couldn't that man have just understood that he was a thing of the past and dealt with it? Why did he have to do all of that just for his own gain? How can someone be so cruel?

And we're paying a lot for it, not only is the entire world in pretty much the brink of open war and forcing amazing reconstruction, but the Digital World is heavily suffering. It's but a shell of its former self, the rain won't fall, the wildlife won't move, the plants won't grow, the water barely even moves, the digimon have gone berserk and…

A sound comes from behind me, though it's not a sound I'm unused to, my thoughts grow quiet as I stare at the moon, steps approach me rather fast, though they are calm and collected.

"Can't sleep?" asks Takato as he sits by my side and looks to the sky.

"Not at all." I reply.

"What's on your mind?"

"A lot of things."

"Guil, you can give me a straight answer." He answers, looking directly towards me now.

I sigh, "Well, three things in particular." I answer him back.

Takato, before saying anything else, rests his head on my shoulder and hugs me, almost if using me as a pillow, and cozies up to me, I hug him closer and rest my head on his head as well, but as he closes his eyes, I continue to look at the starry sky.

"Such as…?" he asks, sounding a bit sleepy.

"The war." I reply.

"The cleanup's not been so good, has it?" he asks, "No…" I answer, "The situation is probably as bad as it would ever get."

"Even with all the work everyone's doing?" Takato asks.

"I know." I reply, "It's weird, they keep sending us on patrol missions, search and destroy, scavenge, just about anything you can imagine, it's been two years of cleanup, you'd think we be closer to finishing this than when we started."

"And Gatomon's been running you guys so hard too…" He replies, "Guil… Do you want to stop working?"

"I need to feed you, Takato." I reply, "Medical attention, food, electricity, water, everything has a cost in the Real World, we have to keep paying." I close my eyes for a bit, "And if I don't do this we won't have much money…"

"I asked if you want to stop." He replied, "I'm worried, you know? You work yourself to death each day… I could find a better job to keep both of us fed."

"I can't put such a burden on you Takato…" I reply, "I'd rather do this myself."

"Hmm…" he seems to murmur something, but I can't quite understand. "What else were you thinking about?"

I move my paw over to his left hand that's hugging me; I pull it a little and carefully put his fingers between my claws, "About us." I reply.

"Something we need to discuss?" he asks, "Honesty above all else Guilmon." He says, "You were the one who made me promise that." He continues.

"I know." I sigh, "I'm… Not sure I'm the best option for you." I continue, and make a small pause, "It's almost like I'm forcing myself to you, like I'm the only option you have."

He squeezes my paw slightly, "Don't be silly, Guil." He replies, "I love you, Guilmon." He continues.

"I know… But what if I'm not what you want? I'm a digimon, you're a human, and…" I have to make a small pause, "…Digimons are not exactly the quietest fellows when it comes to this."

"You've…" he starts, but then stops for a second. "…I know Digimons aren't the best at self-control sometimes Guilmon." He answers, "But I don't want someone better, I want _you._"

"I love you a lot Guil, I don't want us to be separated." He says, "You're the only thing that still makes me smile, if it weren't for you I don't think I would've made it through…" he shudders.

"Don't think about that." I reply.

"I know." He replies, "I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize." I tell him, "But Takato, are you sure?"

"How many times must I tell you?" He replies, "I love you Guilmon, nothing's going to change that."

"That's… good to hear." I reply, a smile escaping my lips.

A moment descends upon us as we feel each other's embrace, nothing else in the world matters anymore. The warmth of Takato's body feels reassuring of his feelings for me, just as much as he must feel of my own warmth.

"And what was the third thing…?" he asks, though it seems more like to keep the conversation going, I don't think he actually cares.

"It's… Veemon." I reply

He doesn't reply for several seconds, "…You two spoke?" he asks.

"Today, yeah." I answered, "After patrol we spoke on a pond while I took a bath." I continued, "He gave me some things to think about… us."

"And before you ask, I didn't confirm anything." I finish.

He sighs, "So what do you want to do about him?" he asks me.

"That depends on what you want to do." I reply, "You were the victim, it wouldn't be right for me to make the decision."

He continues silent for several seconds… "I… Don't know, Guil." He replies, and hugs me tighter, "C-Can we leave it be? Like… Let's not be hostile but… Not actually forgive him?" he replies.

"Alright." I reply, "And sorry for bringing it up…"

"Guil..." he starts, "Do you want to be friends with him again?" he asks.

I sigh, "Yes." I reply, "And I know you want to start talking to Davis again." I continue, "But... It's your choice, Takato."

"It's okay..." he replies, "Just... I won't get anywhere near Veemon without you around, okay?" he asks.

"Alright." I reply, and rub my cheek in his hair a little...

Time passes for a bit as we enjoy our embraces though as I look to the sky again, I can see the faintest hint of morning.

"You wanna go to bed?" I ask.

He looks up to me, I move my head so that I can see his eyes clearly, he then looks down, and sighs, "Let's, it's already late as it is." He replies.

I nod once and get up, stretching after I lend a paw so that Takato can get up as well, he heads towards the normal stairs he used, and I… Head back to the fire exit.

I descend the fire exit quickly and jump on the bed as soon as I see it, after about a minute, Takato enters the bedroom and makes himself comfy by my side… I embrace him and get as close to him as I can, he returns the gesture.

"Were you having a nightmare?" I ask, he nods, "I… Think they're getting worse, Guil…"

"We… Could look for a therapist for this… Joe could recommend one." I tell him, but he shakes his head, "We don't have the money…"

"I could work harder, ask Gatomon for a raise…" I reply, but he quickly replies, "Harder than what you're already working?" he asks, "Do you never want to see me again?"

I look down in guilt, "Sorry…" but as soon as I finish saying that he buries his face in my chest, hugging me tight "I don't want you far from me Guil." He says, "I love you, Guilmon."

I rest my muzzle on top of his head and embrace him tighter, "I love you too, Takato."


	3. Bonds

_(This takes place during the third chapter of Gray Desires, "Flight".)_

September 7th  
Monday, 2020  
5:30PM

"So when are we getting there?" asked Aisha as she looked outside the window, seeing nothing but the clouds of the sky that grew progressively darker.

Suddenly, a mechanical voice spoke out, "Destination reached, initiating landing."

"I believe that answers your question." Eve replied.

Moments passed as Team Omega waited for the Jet to land, Ara looked expectantly at Chung whom was still as quiet as ever. She sighed, "I don't think we can expect much from him." Silver said to her. "We still have to keep hope." She replied.

When the jet finally landed the first to leave was Eve, she opened the door to the light of the setting sun; she let the wind's breeze hit her before she took a step into the runway. She took several more steps to take into the scenery, the airport a few hundred meters from them.

Suddenly a gust of wind hit her, though she wasn't startled, she held her hair and looked to the setting sun, the lonely feeling of the light reminding her of their situation.

She could easily hear the voices of her companions from behind her; she could hear part of the conversation if she listened closely, though it was nothing important. She smiled, being able to take her mind off of official business for a while was refreshing, to say the least.

"Excuse me?" came a voice to her right; she looked to her side, only to see a man using a black suit. "I believe you're all the guests of honor?" he asked.

Eve nodded in response, "Team Omega of the Army, yes." She replied, "I believe you're our escort?" she continued.

"Yes." The man replied, "Your bus is already waiting for you all." He continued.

Eve looked towards her companions, immediately noticing Elsword and Rena exchanging words among themselves with the occasional comment from Raven, Aisha abruptly enters the conversation which seems to make Elsword angry, she notices a giggle coming from Elsy at his brother's reaction right before Elsword and Aisha start into an argument that is quickly broken up by Rena, Raven makes a small facepalm, though he smiles.

However, away from them were the other members of the team, Chung was off to the side, holding one of his Silver Shooters with a piece of cloth in his other hand, cleaning it thoroughly. Ara held her head up high with both of her eyes closed, enjoying the wind blowing on her and probably speaking to Silver. BlackGuilmon idly looked at the airport; his face was neutral to Eve.

"Hey, you all?" she called their attention, and she didn't need a second try to get them to look at her, "The bus is here, let's leave." She spoke, the entire team nodded, with the exception of BlackGuilmon.

…

It didn't take long for them to reach the bus, the team sat on random locations, or it would seem like that to the untrained eye. Eve, however, noticed exactly where each one of them sat.

Elsword and Elsy sat together, it was obvious why – the two were lovers, sometimes they wanted some time alone to just snuggle. Raven and Rena sat by each other, speaking idly among themselves, the two of them were the most mature of the team by far, the voices of reason in a team composed almost entirely by grieving and angered members.

Chung sat by one of the windows, looking outside at the sky, he was probably pondering about battle, Eve believed, or maybe reminiscing about times past. Ara sat by the opposite window, alone, though not truly. She probably spoke with Silver about Chung. She felt responsible for what Chung was now.

Aisha sat by one of the windows, she laid her head back, taking a nap, an uncaring for everything around her.

BlackGuilmon sat on the back, he looked at the ceiling, his thoughts were somewhere else, knowing him, however, he was not thinking about battle, or the patrol he was already assigned to, he was thinking about something else… Could he already know? The empress wasn't sure, but it was likely.

Eve herself took a seat in the front, she used that time to ponder about her teammates, she had a thorough psychological profile on each and every one of them, she knew them more than they knew themselves, whether or not she did that out of insecurity or as a simple way to gather as much information as possible, she did not know, nor did she care.

She started to ponder why the only two members of the team who cared only for battle – Chung and BlackGuilmon – did not speak among themselves. Though the answer was most obvious – they cared only for battle, not for relations with others. Though one question haunted her… Why was BlackGuilmon so closed?

She could say that he simply did not care for relations with others, but there was one exception: Sacchi.

Now that she thought about it, there was also one exception for Chung: Silver. Both Chung and Silver held a deep hatred towards Ran – Ara's brother – as well as the Maiden of old, and since the battle with Ran two years ago, the two of them have proven to have a sort of… Trusting relationship. Though Chung cannot speak to Silver directly, he seems to always listen to his advice and commands whenever he takes over Ara's body.

BlackGuilmon and Sacchi however was a completely different thing, could it have simply been Sacchi's personality? She doubted it. BlackGuilmon was assigned as Sacchi's partner the moment Sacchi entered the army, and BlackGuilmon _immediately_ warmed up to Sacchi… Though she was sure they did not know each other beforehand. Could it simply have been Sacchi giving him a good feeling? Something else entirely?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the abrupt stop of the bus. She got up, leaving the bus without saying a single word.

Upon leaving, she immediately noticed the beige building towering above her… She could immediately discern six floors, one for the lounge and another five for the rooms. Simply by looking at the building's size, she determined there were 9 rooms in each floor, eight of them being big in size, and the last one being massive.

The information she gathered came from the many monitors only she could see, gathering information at speeds faster than light, Eve processed everything flawlessly, her brain was much faster than that of a normal Human's brain.

She looked at the structure; it was sturdy, resistant to hurricanes, earthquakes, thunderstorms, just about any sort of Natural Disaster. That building was made to _last._

Though something immediately caught her attention, the security of the place. There were at least three cameras on each floor; however, she was quick to notice there were no cameras inside each of the rooms. Accessing each and every single camera she noticed they only recorded images in black-and-white and in 240p – probably the lowest that was realistically possible nowadays. They also did not record audio.

She smirked. _Immunity to the elements and yet little security to the humans themselves._ She mentally laughed, _Why am I not surprised?_

She turned around, just in time to see Elsword leaving the bus, "Wow…" he said, "This place in huuuuuuuuge!" he said.

The others quickly left the bus, though most of them showed their amazement at the place, BlackGuilmon didn't even look at the building, he simply stayed close to the bus, hiding from prying eyes as best as possible.

Chung, on the other hand, immediately came to Eve, "Status report?" he asked.

"Initial Scans indicate no threat." Eve replied, turning to the Chaser, "And yet… Chung, are you sure you won't take this time to relax?" she asked.

"I'll relax when this war is over." He replied her.

"I know how much you hate the maiden." She spoke, "Truth be told, all of us do." She continued.

"However, do you see the others mourning for something that they have little to no control over?" she spoke, Chung looked at the others as they idly spoke among themselves, even Ara was into the conversation.

Chung looked aside, "I can't force you to do anything, Chung." Eve said, "Though you're hardly the only one affected by the Maiden… But we've all moved on. " she continued, "I… can't speak for your fa—" she hesitated, "…For Helpert." She continued, Helpert Seiker was Chung's father, however, he hated to call Helpert as such, she needed to watch her words. "However, our old world is dead, and along with it, the Maiden and Helpert… Hating the past won't bring you anywhere."

She knew he was listening for one simple fact: Chung nowadays only really listened to the people who were directly affected by the Maiden as much as he was – which would be himself, Silver, Ara and Eve herself. The others were mere distractions, annoyances to him.

Though she knew he also cared for the others. Their opinions annoyed him, but he respected and cared for them, if not for them, he would not be where he was now, Eve herself owed a lot to the others, as much as they did not realize it.

Eve dared not speak another word, she knew a lot of how the human mind worked, having lived among them for thousands of years, influencing them in small ways was the best way to get anywhere. She cared for Chung as much as she cared for the rest of the team – even BlackGuilmon.

"Hey guys, let's go in?" she spoke to the others; the others looked at her and nodded.

Eve herself approached the double glass doors that were the entrance. _We might be isolated and alone._ She thought. _But as long as we have each other, we can take on any threat that comes our way._ She swung the doors open.

A few steps into the Lounge was all she needed to take into the scenery, a receptionist was at the other side of the lounge, several couches lined up to the right and left, and stairs to one of the sides, a small elevator to the other side. The red walls and carpet bringing her to believe that they wanted to give this place an air fitting of royalty.

"Wow…" comes Elsword's voice, "This place is awesome!" he says, taking into the whole place as Elsy quietly watches his brother from a distance.

Rena approached Eve quickly, "So… Aside from the massive and beautiful hotel, I imagine this vacation comes with perks, yes?" she asks.

Eve nodded, "Private space on the beach and at the movies, that's it, Gatomon couldn't pull enough strings to get us anymore." She replied, "Though it's not like that's bad." She continued.

"I'm so not complaining!" Rena replied, almost laughing.

"Excuse me." Comes a voice, the receptionist had called them, "You are all of Team Omega, yes?" she asked.

Eve approached, "Yes." She replied. "Gatomon has left everything ready for you all." The receptionist said, "You are all to take the fifth floor" she says, and leaves a total of nine keys on the table in front of her. "Pick any room you want, though Gatomon insisted room 510 went to 'the brothers'" She continued.

Eve quickly discerned the key numbered "510" and picked it. "Elsword." She called to him, he looked to her and she threw the keys to him, he got them perfectly and smiled in response.

Eve herself simply picked one of the keys, 505. She let the others pick their keys as they pleased.

Rena was the first to run forward and pick one at random, Ara was right behind her, picking another one – Ara picked 501, while Rena had 503.

Raven proceeded to get one of the keys himself, followed shortly by Chung. They got 507 and 502, respectively. Aisha simply made one of the keys float to her at random, number 508.

The only ones left were 504, 506 and 509. She looked at the side of the room, "Your turn, BG." She spoke.

"I'm not going to stay." He spoke, "I'm going to sleep in the Digital World, not like I'll actually be leaving there anyway." He continued.

"Gatomon had us make a bed specifically for you; it is to be taken to whatever room you choose." The receptionist said. "I don't care." BlackGuilmon quickly replied.

"BlackGuilmon." Eve started, "I'm not asking for you to be friendly with us, and I'm not questioning your love for battle." She made a slight pause, "But everyone has their limits, do you not wish to rest a little, even if only mentally?"

BlackGuilmon looked at her, "You guys are noisy." He spoke, he seemed to want to follow up, but the receptionist cut him off, "The rooms are soundproof."

_Are they?_ Thought Eve, _Well, really? _She mentally chuckled.

BlackGuilmon sighed in defeat, "I don't want to ever be disturbed." He spoke, heading for the desk and taking a key at random, immediately going for the stairs and climbing. Eve took a look at the remaining keys – he had taken 509.

"Which leaves 504 and 506 vacant." Eve spoke. She looked to the receptionist, whom shrugged in response.

Finally, Eve looked to her companions, "Come on, let's take our baggage and get it to our rooms. You all know your assignments?" she asked, as was met by several nods. "Alright, let's finish this before 2AM; Alpha should be here by then." She continued.


	4. Futility

_(This takes place between the fourth and fifth chapters of Gray Desires, "Sin" and "Revelation", respectively.)_

September 13th  
Monday, 2020  
8:21PM

I slowly tugged at his arm as we walked down the long corridor of the Hotel, seeing him shudder several times during the slow process that was crossing the entire corridor.

His face was almost in pain as he shuddered again, holding his arms almost as if he was cold... I could do little more than pity him as this exact moment.

The walk to the end of the corridor felt like a small eternity, I pulled the handle and pushed the door open, "Come on, Takato." I said.

He nodded slightly, entering the room quickly as I closed the door behind him and locked it; I tugged on his arm slightly and gently pulled him to the bed.

The bed was comfy and more than big enough for both of us, as soon as the two of us were lying down on the bed though, he hugged me as tight as he could and buried his face on my chest, I could do nothing but return the embrace.

"Takato…" I said his name gently, caressing his hair with my paw, "Don't worry… I'm here with you."

"Guilmon…" he replied, shuddering again.

"Nothing's going to harm you here as long as I'm with you." I continue, hugging him slightly tighter. "Don't you worry."

"I'm sorry Guil…" he weakly said, he seemed like he was going to continue, "Shh… It's okay… No need to apologize." I answered, though he quietly muttered apologies all the same.

He has been like this for so long…

Memories of that day always make him have these breakdowns, I can hardly blame him – being raped never was and never will be easy, especially for someone in his condition.

What Veemon did to Davis… It wasn't the same as what he did to Takato, not exactly. However, I've seen Davis crying these past few days, it seems like the effect it had on Davis was similar, if not the same as the effect it had on Takato.

"Shh… It's okay…" I kept repeating, though this makes me wonder why Veemon would do this to either of them… Sex-addiction? Abstinence? Likely the latter in Davis's case, but for Takato…

These moments are why I can't ever forgive Veemon for what he did. These moments always remind me of the scar that plagued Takato's mental health, a scar caused by Veemon's actions… Despite all the good he has done, to me and to everyone else, Veemon's crime can never be forgiven…

And yet every time I say that I feel like a hypocrite…

"Guilmon…" he calls my name, I turn my head down slightly, "What you said back then… That it's pointless to start if we can't finish…" he starts, though he hiccups slightly… He's on the verge of tears.

"Yeah?" I ask, as gently as possible.

"…Did you really mean it?" he asks.

"…Not really." I answer, and truth be told, I didn't really mean it. What I said was to try and make sure Veemon wasn't going to delve _too_ much into such a personal subject. Takato is trying to trust Veemon again, so am I, but he's… Rather curious sometimes. I've learned to deal with that curiosity in the past years, at least.

"Guil…" he calls out again, "Are you… frustrated?" he continues, before another small hiccup, "For… still being a virgin?" he asks.

As much as I want to say "no"… "Honesty… above all else." Takato says, and that phrase is pretty much the embodiment of the phrase "digging your own grave". I was the one whom made him promise that, after all.

I sigh slightly, "…A little." I answer, "I try to masturbate a lot to help with that…"

"I'm sorry…" Takato mutters, still burying his face on my chest, "Don't apologize…" I answer him, "It's not your fault…"

"G-Guil…" he says, gulping slightly, "Do you want to…"

"Takato…" I say, "Are you sure…?" I ask.

"Not all the way…" He continues, "I just… want to test the drug."

The drug, yeah, sensible thinking, he's also going to give _me_ an orgasm so that he doesn't feel guilty, which makes _me_ feel guilty. "Alright." I answer him. Despite the fact that I'm going to feel guilty once all of this ends, if it's what he wants… I can't really say no.

He turns his head upwards and approaches my muzzle; he puts one of his arms around my neck as our lips touch, slowly and passionately feeling each other in a long and precious kiss. Takato's breathing tickling my muzzle and his body warmth only making me like this a lot more.

Our lips part for a moment, leaving a line of saliva between our mouths, Takato moves his left hand towards one of his back pockets and takes the drug out of it, opening the box and taking one pill out of it… He then takes another two out of it and immediately gulps all three of them down.

"Takato…" I mutter, but Takato throws the box aside, and goes back to kissing me; I hug him tighter this time and feel his soft embrace as our lips touch.

With his left hand he starts taking his shirt off, I move a little back to give him some space to do that… He takes everything off after a few minutes and throws everything aside.

Now with a completely nude Takato in front of me, I was even more worried about what was about to happen, Takato, on the other hand, simply goes back to kissing me once again… If there's one thing I know is that Takato _loves _kissing.

The feeling of his groin rubbing against my pouch quickly makes my own member leave its hiding place… Damn, I'm so hard it's almost _painful._

Takato breaks the kiss after a few moments, "I love you, Guil…" he says, before sliding his left arm down my back and putting it close to my wagging tail.

"I love you too, Takato…" I answer him, before I roll on top of him, carefully. I breathe in once as I look at his expression… it didn't feel like a lustful expression to me; rather, it felt almost… Fearful, hesitant.

"Takato…" I say as I look deep into his eyes, he grabs my muzzle again and gives me another quick kiss, "Go on…" he says a moment after our lips part.

I nod, lowering myself until my muzzle reached his groin, his member was flaccid… Not a good sign. I took the time to look at it… It seemed rather thick for someone with his body's age. What it seemed to lack in length, it had in thickness, though this is mostly speculation… He's not hard, after all.

I put my muzzle just a touch closer to Takato's member, taking in the scent… The scent of his musk almost drawing me in hypnotically… Okay, I'm a crotch-sniffer, not like that's _too_ weird.

The scent of his musk was strong but delicious to feel, it felt stronger than even my own… I shook these thoughts aside as soon as I noticed that Takato was waiting. I slid my tongue out and licked it once; taking in the salty taste as I slowly started licking it from bottom to top and back to the bottom.

I could do nothing more than lick him though…I had little control over my teeth, and biting him, even slightly, was going to have major consequences…

But as I proceeded with my job, I quickly noticed that his member was not growing hard at all… I looked up to him, removing my muzzle from his groin. "Nothing?" I ask… He shakes his head.

My first thought is to go up and hug him, but he quickly sits down and pulls me up slightly… He hugs me tight and I quickly return the gesture… he buries himself on my chest again, trying to fight back the tears.

I hug him tighter and carefully caress his hair again… Another futile attempt. Was he losing hope? I know I still have mine, I'm not going to give up on Takato so easily, but I do not know whether or not he's going to give up eventually…

Though only moments pass, he relaxes his hold on me and starts to slowly slide his face down, I gulp down slightly.

He quickly reaches my crotch, looking to my completely erect digihood… I'm above average in both thickness and length as far as rookies go, though not by much… He seems to contemplate it slightly, before giving it a small lick.

The lick sends a small rush of pleasure through my body; he seems to take a moment to contemplate the taste… It's his first time giving me a blowjob; he probably has little to no clue on what to do.

He starts suckling on it gently, slowly running his tongue along its length, the movements sending another rush of pleasure through my body, making me shudder slightly… Am I that horny?

He then takes his time to run his tongue around both of my balls, he plays with them using his tongue for a little while as I feel myself starting to pre slightly.

He moves his mouth over to the tip and puts it inside his mouth—argh!

"W-Watch the teeth…" I tell him, he had just scratched the tip with his teeth… Damn that hurts like _fuck._ He immediately opens his mouth wider and continues to work slowly on my shaft… The pain is quickly overwhelmed by pleasure as I feel myself let out a long sigh.

Takato slowly increases his pace for the next few moments before he takes my shaft out of his mouth and takes a breath… He licks the length of my shaft again as he slowly regains his breath.

And yet at this point I'm actually getting pretty close. I moan once, "Takato…" I call his name right before he puts the tip of my dick in his mouth again, continuing his work slowly…

"Takato…" I say again as I feel myself getting _real close. _"Takato… Stop…" I told him, though he did not listen.

I felt myself quickly getting closer and closer and my breathing only getting progressively faster. "Stop…" I repeated, barely able to hold back my reactions to the pleasure I felt.

Once I went through the point of no return, Takato still hadn't stopped… I put my paw on the top of his head and pushed quickly; forcing him to stop… that was one moment before I exploded.

My cum shot out like a river forward, I closed my eyes tight, breathing heavily as I felt my orgasm run through me. I let out a long moan as several more shots came from me.

I took my time to regain my composure, my breathing slowing down to normality after several moments; I opened my eyes, only to see Takato covered in my seed. He took a little of it in his finger and proved it, "…It tastes bad." He says, trying to force a smile, but I could see his fearful, tearful eyes behind that smile.

It's those times that I feel the most powerless.

I return to hugging him and pull him to the pillows, we both lay our heads on them and cuddle deeply, "I love you Guilmon…" he says, "I love you too, Takato." I reply.


	5. Dread

_(The following scene happens between the fifth and sixth chapters of Digital Prophecy, "Revelation" and "Determination", respectively.)_

September 14th  
Monday, 2020  
8:32PM

After the Soccer Match, Team Omega themselves were impressed by what Rena could do.

"Damn Rena, I never noticed you were that fast!"

"You sure taught them a good lesson - never underestimate someone from this team."

"I'm pretty sure running on the wall is against the rules of Soccer."

Those were only some of the several comments she got from her team, she was modest, she knew she did great, but didn't really like to be a showoff... Of course, losing was even more unacceptable.

Everybody eventually went back to their respective rooms. Eve however, stayed in the corridor with Rena, they looked between each other, Eve smiled, Rena raised an eyebrow "What is it?" she, too, smiled.

"Now that the others aren't close enough to be a hassle, I'll admit Rena, even I'm a bit impressed." Eve answered, "I mean, did you really memorize every single rule on a 15 minute mark?"

Rena herself chuckled, "I'm a messenger, remember? I memorize message so that, if I lose them, I can still send them to their destination."

Eve shook her head, but laughed, she was honestly amused.

"Eve?" Rena called, getting the Empress's attention, "You mind doing a favor for me?" she continued. "What is it?" was Eve's answer.

"You keep psychological profiles on everybody of interest you meet, yes?" Rena asked, to which Eve nodded, "Can I see your files regarding Veemon?"

Eve raised both eyebrows... And sighed. A snap of her fingers prompted Ophelia to appear, "Yes mistress?" She asked. "Bring me Veemon's psychological profile, on paper."

After a brief nod from Ophelia, she disappeared, appearing again in another moment with a few papers in hand. She handed it over to Eve, whom handed it over to Rena.

Rena took them in hand, but before she could begin reading, Eve motioned for her to follow, she did just that, and both went down the stairs.

"I know what's in his profile, Rena, and I believe I know what you're looking for." She continued. "Let's go take a walk while you read that, yes? That way I can answer any possible questions. Besides, I need to go for a walk."

Rena nodded in response, both women slowly descended the stairs, Rena herself didn't read the papers immediately... Was it hesitation to what she was going to find? Fear?

As soon as both left the Hotel was when Rena finally started reading, the night's breeze was calming to her, the low light would be a problem, but Ophelia quickly gave her a small flashlight, "Thank you, Ophelia" Rena replied, turning the flashlight on and reading the Profile.

_Veemon is the digimon of Miracles, hence, his very existence seems to be a very strong luck magnet, the power to win battles and wars through miracles, his partner, Daisuke "Davis" Motomiya, seems to have a similar power, though to a much lesser extent._

_Veemon was once a very cheerful digimon, always playful, always friendly... At his core, he still is, however, as war never changes, it also never fails to change those affected by it. However, it seems this change was much more gradual than initially thought._

_Since the end of the Second Generation's adventures, Veemon was trapped to the Motomiya family, seclusion from anybody who wasn't Daisuke, his sister, June Motomiya, or their parents._

_Veemon couldn't understand such a change, he believed that all digimon and all humans could be friends, brothers and sisters, much like he was to Daisuke - his belief was not flawed, but it would take him years to understand human society._

_The more he learned in the 27 years between the end of his adventures and the beginning of the war, the more cynical of a person he became, though his core personality never changed, he was forced to accept the reality that most humans were not ready for the Digimon. Thankfully, the Digimon remained a secret until recent years._

_[Note: The above is mostly speculation based on small facts I've collected, it is susceptible to errors since I did not know Veemon from an early age, it should be mostly right, but don't use this as a reference.]_

The two continued casually walking down the mostly deserted street in Miami, Rena looked to the side, towards Eve, "How accurate, exactly, is this speculation?" she asked.

"85% accuracy." Eve replied.

Rena nodded, and kept reading.

_The recent years were the biggest hit towards Veemon's personality, as it should be expected from war. Daisuke, June and Veemon were forced to move out of their household, leaving their parents wondering both the why, and if they'd ever be okay. Further seclusion from humanity only proved to speed up his psychological degeneration._

_The war itself left Veemon exhausted after each day, even before it officially begun. Though fighting his own kind again was not as much as of a problem as our own allies - though the Motomiya family was Buddhist, probably seeing how different actual angels and demons are from what humanity portrays only helped to speed up the process._

_About three months before the official beginning of the war, Veemon and his best friend, Guilmon, started on a bad fight, Guilmon seemed to blame Veemon for something horrible, and inherently hate him._

_Though no concrete evidence exists to such hatred, it is obvious such a thing has also taken its toll on Veemon, and a possibility to an explanation has arisen in recent years, rumors o-_

Rena's reading was suddenly interrupted by her being tossed aside, and feeling her back hitting something hard... Something she quickly identified as a wall. In front of her stood a man, maybe in his mid-thirties, she couldn't tell in the low light if his hair was black or brown, and the same could be said about his eyes.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed Eve being assaulted by a second man, blonde with black/brown eyes, maybe in his late-twenties. Rena instantly realized what this was and sighed.

The man that held her neck also held a gun to her stomach, little did she care. "Heya m' beauty." he said with a smile that could only be described as disgusting. "What're you doin', reading in the streets in the dark like this, don't you know it's dangerous?" he laughed, "And with that sweet clothing of yours? Girlie, you're just beggin'"

Both women were unfazed. "Listen, we do what we want, when we want." Rena replied. "And I'll use whatever clothing I want, thank you very much."

"I'll give you guys a fair warning and say that you two are choosing the wrong girls to rape tonight, I'd suggest you two leave now." Eve said.

"Girlie, you see this?" The creep holding Eve pointed a gun to her face, "You seein' this? I can shoot your brains out right now, so be a good whore and get on all fours."

"Psychological Analysis indicate that you've never fired a gun in all your life and though you do not understand how raping a person may destroy such person's life you still understand how bad murder is and though you hide behind a facade of "badassery" you do not have the balls to pull that trigger." Eve replied, smirking, "You're also catholic."

The man perplexed, "H-How did you..."

Little would the idiot know that the rosary on his neck pretty much told everything about himself.

Of course, the other man wasn't all that fazed "The hell you doin'? She's only playing tricks on ya, fuck that bitch good." He said, and the blond was instantly back into his previous position, trying to force Eve down to the ground.

Eve, this time, let herself fall to the ground, but said "You've had your chance.", she smiled, "Oberon, Ophelia." she called.

"Heh, no one's comin' to save you gir-"

Of course, the man never finished his sentence as Oberon pierced his partner's stomach with one of his blades. Lifting him from the ground and away from Eve, "Yes, mistress."

"Eve did warn you, you chose the wrong girls to rape." Rena said, before using as much strength as possible to hit the man's stomach with her knee, sending him flying to the other side of the street... He would've hit the wall had Ophelia not held him by the neck.

Rena helped Eve get up. And they looked between each other as the blonde agonized, "Orders, mistress?" Oberon asked.

"Usual protocol." Eve replied, as both women started walking again, "Do it out of sight though, and don't forget to clean up, don't want this known to the authorities tomorrow."

"Yes, mistress." Oberon replied.

Rena still held both the flashlight and the papers in hand, so she quickly just went back to reading.

_Though no concrete evidence exists to such hatred, it is obvious such a thing has also taken its toll on Veemon, and a possibility to an explanation has arisen in recent years, rumors of Veemon having raped Takato Matsuda (Guilmon's Destined) have started appearing, though mostly considered as impossibilities, such rumors have been surprisingly persistent, even though nobody seems to believe in them._

Her reading is briefly interrupted by Ophelia teleporting by Eve's side, "Should we keep the samples, mistress?" she asked, Eve dismissed her, "I only keep good samples Ophelia, thrash like that needs burning."

"Yes, mistress." Ophelia said, before disappearing.

Rena looked over to Eve, whom only said "Don't ask.", Rena wasn't going to in any case, knowing eve, it was probably something too morbid for her taste.

_Though regarded as impossibilities, such rumors are much more likely than one might think, Veemon's reputation is no secret to anyone in the army - Gatomon herself confirmed such reputation - and further supports the theory of such crime._

_To clarify: Veemon's reputation is of the Digimon whom has had sex with over a thousand living beings, them being Digimon or Human [Note: Humans in this case probably being the destined of the army and Digidestined of other digimon whom he happened across in the Digital World along the years]. It is impossible to say who has ever been in bed with Veemon, or if the number is just an exaggeration or not, however, regardless of that such reputation has proven itself to be at least partially true due to the sheer amount of sex Veemon has had in his life._

_This shows signs of a very bad first relationship, or very bad first time, which does lead to loneliness and possibly frustration. Such things can lead one to be sex addicted - which Veemon has proven to be - either as a means to forget his first time, or to fill the void it left for not having found a lover._

_Those who are Sex-Addicted are much more susceptible to rape than most people might think, especially if it has anything to do with forgetting sorrow. Hence, it should be noted, though not proven, Veemon's rape of Takato is very likely indeed._

_All of this, combined with the problems caused during the war, especially those regarding Veemon and the Motomiya family - mainly, the deaths of the parents, Veemon's and Guilmon's kidnapping and the hatred of digimon in general nowadays - has made Veemon a more cynical person, as well as less cheerful than before. He has also proven to be lonely to a certain degree, and is very prone to mental exhaustion, the fact that I've not recorded any crying in him during all of these years, also makes him very weak emotionally, though making up for it by never showing such weaknesses._

_All of this scales down to one thing: Depression. Heavy depression. Hence, Veemon should be considered prone to suicide, though unlikely to be done on a whim, if something in his life "snaps", it is almost guaranteed for such a thing to happen. Veemon requires heavy observation to prevent himself from committing suicide, and should be stopped at all costs if such thing is attempted._

_Final Notes: I don't think there's ever going to be a good therapy for Veemon, which is why I won't finish this entry with the usual Therapy Notes, if anything, the only cure would be him finding a true lover. This cannot be realistically done easily, so Veemon's depression can be lessened but not cured, and it will depend on him and him alone to cure this._

_However, this proves to be much harder than it seems - since the beginning of the war, Veemon has been without sex. Sex addiction is just as bad as drug or alcohol addiction, without proper treatment it can be devastating, hence, Veemon should be given at least three more years before truly trying to cure his depression, as this can lead to him rushing a relationship for the sex and possibly losing control during such - this can have some seriously bad consequences, especially if such person is from the army - which is likely._

_Possible Cure Notes: Daisuke 85%, Wormmon 15%_

_Daisuke is, surprisingly, the most likely person to be Veemon's love partner, though the two are "brothers", Daisuke's neediness combined with Veemon's desire for sex and "love" for Daisuke (A good portion of Veemon's life was spent as the immature Chibimon, hence he probably can't truly distinguish a love between friends/brothers and a love between life partners.) makes this extremely likely. Psychological analysis on both Wormmon and Veemon indicate that the two of them might have tried something in the past, if this is the case then it is possible for Wormmon to be Veemon's partner, though unlikely._

Rena looked up from the papers Eve had given her, and looked over to the Empress, "You really think Veemon raped Takato?" she asked.

Eve nodded, "I'm about 95% sure of it, the only thing left to be 100% sure is Veemon, Takato or possibly Guilmon admitting it outright." she said.

Rena turned back to the papers, reading the few lines that caught her attention the most.

" 'Veemon should be given at least three more years before truly trying to cure his depression, as this can lead to him rushing a relationship for the sex and possibly losing control during such - this can have some seriously bad consequences, especially if such person is from the army - which is likely.' " Rena read out loud to Eve, whom looked over to Rena, as if expecting a follow up. Rena sighed, "Please tell me I was the only one who saw Davis crying these past few days."

Eve shook her head. "You're certainly not the only one, not the first, and quite certainly not the last if things keep up." She replied, "I believe we both understand the situation."

Rena bit her lower lip, was she truly wrong about Veemon? Was he a liar as good as she was? "Eve..." she spoke, "If everything has already happened... Do you think Veemon could...?"

Eve nodded. "Everything considered, we should be seeing his life snap right about now." she spoke, turning around, "Which, I believe, prompts us to go back to the hotel, yes?"

Rena nodded in response, "For once in my life Eve, I hope you're wrong."

"I never thought I'd say this." Eve replied, "But I too, hope I'm wrong."


	6. Memories

_(This takes place during the beginning of the sixth chapter of Gray Desires, "Determination".)_

September 14th  
Monday, 2020  
9:35PM

The blood flew almost in a stream between the two as Ara decapitated one enemy she believed to be a champion-level.

Though some of the blood stuck to her face, the Data Particles quickly came as the opponent was deleted, she looked to the right, seeing Chung reloading his cannon and slinging it to his back.

The priestess looked to the Chaser; his eyes were neutral to the carnage the two of them had just made. She felt the indifference on his eyes, his uncaring for anything around him… He seemed almost like a machine.

"This area's done." Chung said, Ara took a quick glance to the right to see her Guardian Spirit, Silver, sitting idly by her side, Silver nodded in response to Chung.

"Then let's go over to IF-2." Ara replied, the two of them had just started patrol, it was going to be a lengthy one, she thought, though thankfully for her, their orders were not to patrol the entire sector, only its first five areas.

She looked up, to the mountain towering over her, were this a normal day, its peak would be concealed by the clouds, though there were no clouds in the sky. She could clearly see the peak that pierced the heavens; throughout the mountain's length, she could see several flying digimon. Digimon she could only guess at their level, though she suspected they were all Mega.

The two of them started walking side-by-side towards the second part of the IF Sector, Chung stayed deadly silent, true to his motto of being "the last thing you never see". Ara walked by his side, she spared several glances at him during the small trip, though his expression never changed… Was he even thinking about anything?

"You can't blame him for being like this." Came Silver's voice, walking along by their side, Ara shook her head, "I can't blame anyone for being like this." She replied.

"Not after what he went through." She continued, though she dared not let her mind wander to the battle between him and Aren. "Sometimes I wonder how he would be if none of this had happened."

"You wouldn't even know him." Silver replied, "Though I imagine he would've never have left Hamel." He continued.

"I wish I had known him back in the times Rena said he was just a cheerful child." She sighed, she still remembered clearly the day she met the group. She was running for her life after her brother had destroyed her village and met them midway through their journey to the desert city of Sander. Silver insisted for her to join the group, despite being nearly half dead.

Thankfully, the group managed to reach Sander quickly and give Ara the necessary medical attention. She officially joined the group then, though at that point, Chung was already holstering his first Silver Shooter, and it wouldn't take long for him to get his second. She only got to know him during his grieving days, and not as the innocent child Rena had described him as.

She spared another glance at the great mountain… Infinity Mountain the digimon called it. It was one of the great obstacles for Team Omega to surmount, though now it seemed like it was important to her on a personal level. Was it representative of the obstacles she had faced? Or maybe of the obstacles she had yet to face.

"Ara." Came a voice, she immediately looked towards Silver, though he quickly pointed with his head towards her other companion, Chung. She looked to him as he gently pulled on one of his scarves to speak, while keeping his head down. "How do you feel about your brother?" he asked.

Her brother… Aren Haan, commonly known nowadays as simply "Ran", she had little else but pity for her brother. He was a victim of the Maiden as much as Chung was, maybe even more.

And yet, it was Ran that pulled Chung into this state, and it was Ran that brought her into this as well, all thanks to the promise of power of the Maiden of old. The others always thought a man who had done the atrocities he did – submit a child to torture, a child that trusted him, as well as burn the village where his younger sister and Guardian Spirit were housed – was irredeemable.

Ara did not think so, and for the longest time, neither did Silver.

Though while Ara pitied her brother and wanted to talk him out of the dark side, Silver held a deep hatred to the old priest, hatred and disappointment, Ara herself did not think highly of this, after a while it seemed less about saving Ran and more like saving pride. For Silver, it was a disgrace that his most dedicated priest had fallen for the dark side, what did that say about the Guardian Spirit?

Ara and Silver never had the chance to talk Ran out of the dark side, though, maybe after so long, Silver simply gave up on the idea that Ran still had salvation, and what was left was simply his hatred for the demon that remained of Ara's brother.

"I…" Ara began to respond, "I do not hate him, if that's what you're asking." She quickly answered, though she did not want to look Chung in the eyes, she instead glanced to the right, right into Silver's eyes, the fox held a deep frown.

"So you don't believe him to be a monster for what he has done? To me? To Sasha? To _you?_" Chung continued.

"No." Ara quickly replied.

"He was affected by the Maiden much more than you or me. We entered our quests as consequences of Ran's actions, though he himself was a victim of the dark promises the Maiden made." She quietly sighed, "For a man to be influenced by promises of the creator… I do not think that's particularly hard to believe."

"I only pity my brother." Ara finished.

She expected a reprimand by the Chaser, though silence reigned. She looked over to Silver, but he too did not dare speak a word.

Ara had never felt her thoughts so empty since the day Silver started using her as a host.

"If you met Ran right now, what would you do?"

That question was spoken by the Chaser, though Ara had no answer to that question. She would try to speak to him, to convince him to come with them, though she was well aware the rest of the team would not approve. Rather, he would most probably try to bring Ara to the dark side herself. Having mastered the Light Arts with the help of Silver, she was pretty much immune to the allures of the Dark Arts, though she could use some Dark Arts, she was by no means a master of them, nor did she have any plans of being so.

If dialogue did not work, the only other option was to fight, but she did not want to battle her brother, a battle with him would mean either she or he would not leave the place alive.

She sighed, "Ran's dead." She spoke, as much as she hated to call her brother that, "So the point of the question is rendered moot."

Chung only sighed in response; she had avoided the question perfectly. She did not want to answer it, not now and not in a million years.

"What _would_ you do?" asked Silver.

Her conscience was not free of the clutches of the fox though, as much as she could avoid Chung's question, she could not avoid Silver's.

"What would _you_ do?" Ara asked back.

"You already know the answer." He answered, and Ara did know. The battle against Ran two years ago did happen after all – and she was not the one to fight him. Silver forced control over her body to fight his ex-priest, and with the help of Chung, both the Fox and the Chaser managed to kill the man.

"You do not believe him to have any hope for salvation?" Ara asked.

"He has been under the allures of the dark arts for too long." The fox spoke, "I remember telling you once our adventures began that we did not have much time… That is what I meant."

"A man that is under the influence of the dark arts for so long has his mind corrupted beyond repair. If we were to remove the dark arts from him, his mind would be broken beyond repair." Silver continued, "The dark is a part of him as much as he's a part of the dark. He had no hope for salvation."

And yet, Silver could say that a million times, the fox knew he would not get through to the pacifist Ara.

"Ara, Chung, can you hear me?" came a voice on her communicator, Chung was the first to answer, "Loud and clear, Eve."

"I'm listening, over." Ara responded, "Belay all orders, Rescue-Type Mission of maximum priority!" Eve spoke, "Me and the rest of the team will be leaving for it soon, can you two make it to Machine Pit?"

Machine Pit?

"No problems." Chung quickly answered, "If we take a checkpoint there we should be there in about forty minutes." He continued, "Roger, Eve over and out." She spoke.

Ara looked to the Chaser in dismay, "Machine Pit?" she asked, Chung nodded. "My gut proves to be right again." The Chaser sighed.

Ara held her spear tightly, "Looks like big stuff." Silver said, "You up for it?" he asked.

"I cannot depend on you forever, Silver." Ara replied, "I am my own woman."


	7. Loyalty

_(This takes place during the seventh Chapter of Gray Desires, "United".)_

September 15th

Tuesday, 2020  
11:49AM

He quietly walked the path he had walked what seemed like a thousand times before.

The man, Sacchi Hikaru, now stood in what could be best described as a palace, but not quite. All of the corridors were adorned with a beautiful red carpet; there were paintings in the walls, paintings of some talented painters of old, all of them dealing with the exact same subject: Religion.

The place itself had beautifully adorned pillars, the walls were a fluorescent yellow, and each and every corridor was almost as long as one's eye could see.

Sacchi was in paradise.

Several prying eyes were on him, the many beings – archangels – that ran these halls, despite all being busy with some sort of duty for the "Lord Himself" all of them looked to the man, some in curiosity, some in dismay, some held smiles in their faces, while others could do nothing but frown.

Sacchi took a left, only to see another corridor that stretched as far as the eye could see, he had been walking these corridors for what seemed like an eternity, and yet he did not feel tired – was it the effect of this place, or simply all the training of extended walking he's had to do in the past two years? Sacchi did not know.

He continued to walk down the corridor, but it took him less than one minute to stop. He looked right to see a massive door of the same fluorescent yellow color towering above him… He smiled and opened the door effortlessly.

"I believe I said I did not want to be disturbed." Came an all-too-familiar voice from the inside, Sacchi opened the door fully to see a massive chamber with the same red carpet in the very middle. However, it lead this time lead to a total of three steps which lead to a throne. The throne, again, of the same fluorescent yellow, had a man in his nineteen's sitting on it. The man sported simple black clothing with a short blue hair. He quickly got up from his throne as he saw who had just entered his chamber.

He looked in disbelief to Sacchi, whom replied with a simple smile, "Still not wanting to be disturbed?" he said.

"Sacchi." The man, Abel, also known as "The Messiah", replied, "I thought you…" he dared not to finish that sentence.

Sacchi, however, had little qualms about doing so, "Fled the Higher Planes?" Sacchi replied, "So the news did arrive here. Maybe I should not be surprised."

"It's not every day that someone like you even exists, Sacchi." Abel replied, again sitting on his throne. "And definitely not a day where someone like you flees Olympus." He continued.

"What can I do?" Sacchi laughed, "Living on top of a mountain just ain't my style."

Abel shook his head at the response. "May I ask what you're doing in the Heavens?" he asked.

"My, is a friendly greeting not enough for you?" Sacchi replied, smiling. "Or are you too busy being holier than all?"

Abel glared at Sacchi for a moment, Sacchi himself just chuckled in response, "You're not one for friendly greetings, Sacchi." Abel said, "I know that too well."

"My, you wound me!" Sacchi replied, still smiling, "But you are right that there is something I wanted to ask of you." He spoke.

Abel raised an eyebrow, "A simple request, if you will." Sacchi continued, Abel nodded, "I'm listening."

"As I've jokingly said, I'm not too fond of Mount Olympus." Sacchi spoke, "The atmosphere is creepy, and I'm not particularly fond of Zeus, or really, just about anybody in there." He continued, "So I've come here to request permission to live in paradise."

Abel raised an eyebrow, and was about to speak, "Which means I wanted to move my chamber to paradise." Sacchi cut him off.

Abel looked to his side; Sacchi followed his stare, there stood a very clear Seraph, his body was metallic in color, and would seem like a robot to anyone who wasn't the wiser. Aside from his perfect human body with a most metallic color, his body was covered in priest robes, sporting a yellow cross at its very middle; he stood with his arms open, palms facing upwards, almost a perfect cross position. "What says you, Metatron?" Abel said.

"I am not to make decisions for thee, Messiah." Metatron spoke, "Tis thou decision to be made, 'tis my job to allow it." He continued, though Sacchi knew very well that was only half-true.

Abel shook his head. "I have no problems with it." He said, looking to Sacchi once more. "However, you will keep me to my duties. No 'social greetings'." Abel sighed, "You understand?"

"Thank you, Abel." Sacchi replied, making a short bow, "I promise I shall not be a burden."

Abel was about to open his mouth to answer, though another voice interrupted him, "Messiah." Came the voice of Metatron, Abel looked to him, "What is it?" he asked.

"A new soul is ready for paradise." Spoke the Seraph, Abel raised an eyebrow. "Show me." He spoke.

Metatron raised one of his hands slightly as an orb of light appeared in his palm, the orb took a few seconds to fully form, but it quickly gave form to a scene that happened, the scene showed a teenage boy sleeping in a double-sized bed with what seemed like a small blue dragon.

Sacchi knew who these two were all too well.

"Veemon!" he cried out, Abel and Metatron turned their heads to him for a moment, before Abel spoke out, "A member of the army, I take it?" he asked.

"A commander." Sacchi replied, "What is it about his destiny?" he asked.

"His destiny has been fulfilled." Spoke Metatron, "For that, he shall be taken to paradise immediately, to live in harmony in this perfect place." He continued, as he closed his palm in a fist, the orb disappeared immediately, and he lowered his arm back to its normal height, standing in the same pose as ever.

Sacchi looked deeply at Abel, "What…" he tried to formulate something, but the words would not come to him.

Abel shook his head as he got up, "Then I need to contact Gabriel." He said, taking a few steps forward, "If you'll excuse me, Sacchi." He spoke.

Sacchi could barely believe what he had just heard. That Veemon had completed his destiny? That he was to be taken to paradise? That just had to be some sort of bullshit.

And yet, he knew Metatron all too well. The damned Seraph never lied unless he had specific orders from his Lord to conceal information – in which case, he used half-truths.

Sacchi himself had helped in the relationship between Veemon and Davis. Though he had not influenced anything directly, he did save Team Omega during the raid in Machine Pit, and he _was_ keeping watch.

He felt responsible.

"YOU CAN'T DO THAT!"

Sacchi's scream echoed around the chamber as Abel was about to open the door to leave, Sacchi turned around, looking at Abel as he looked over his shoulder, "You can't separate these two!" he spoke.

"And why not?" Abel answered, the coldness in his voice only serving to disgust Sacchi.

"THEY LOVE EACH OTHER!" Sacchi screamed again, "You can't take something like that away!"

Abel turned around, facing Sacchi and crossing his arms. "Love or no, rules are rules." He spoke, "A soul who has fulfilled its destiny must be brought to paradise immediately." He continued.

Sacchi rushed forward, grabbing Abel by the collar with both hands and pushing him to the wall. Sacchi glared deeply into the man's indifferent eyes, the coldness in them only making his blood boil even more. "Since _when_ do you take orders from the Divines?!" Sacchi shouted, "Has _so much_ changed in the past two years that I can see the man whom openly **mocked **God as if he was his little bitch listen to his every word?!"

And yet, Abel was unfazed.

"It's an agreement between us, Sacchi." He replied, "I keep all my power as messiah and king of Bel so long as I fulfill the necessary rules and regulations." He continued, "I do not care for petty emotions, I care only for keeping the order this world needs and deserves."

"**HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?**" Sacchi shouted once again, "_**YOU WERE HUMAN ONCE!**_"

"You're right, I _was_ human."

These words astonished the man, how could someone who was once a perfectly normal human have absolutely no care for Love? Sacchi had no answer to that question. Had him turning into the Messiah of Humanity really turned him that much? More than Sacchi ever realized? He shook the thought – he could scarcely say he knew Abel. He didn't even know of the man he now saw before he became the Messiah.

Though Sacchi always had the idea of Abel having kept his humanity, his compassion and his love, the words that were spoken proved all of his assumptions wrong. Sacchi could only hope that this attitude was a direct consequence of something that happened in the past two years, rather than being Abel's true nature, though during the shock of the realization, even the optimistic Sacchi could not see that as true.

He let go of the Messiah, whom looked blankly at Sacchi, "Now if you'll excuse me." Abel spoke, Sacchi had little time to think, he had to stop Abel, no matter what the cost, but he couldn't enter a fight with the Divines, that was suicide!

A single, small answer found its way to Sacchi's head, as much as he wanted to shrug the idea off, it seemed like the only way. He wanted to get rid of anything regarding that woman, he wanted to never remember her, despite her dying words, he wanted to be free of her, forever.

And yet deep in his heart he knew, from the moment he had chosen his position of power, he would never truly be free from the clutches of that woman.

Sacchi sighed before Abel opened the door, "You need an angel for the job, yes?" he spoke.

Abel looked back to Sacchi, with a raised eyebrow.

Sacchi sighed and closed his eyes; he felt his energy flow as he concentrated deeply.

His body simply started to float off the ground; the energy flowed deeply around him as white energy streams swirled around him. He body shone brightly as he was enveloped in an orb of light.

Abel looked amused at what was happening before the orb of light exploded in what seemed like endless feathers. Two wings appeared from the orbs, leaving various feathers around, what appeared in the place of the orb was not the man with dark clothing and two blades as his weapons, but rather, a full-blown Seraph.

His hair had grown considerably, turning from its normal black color to the purest of white, and from shorter than shoulder-length to hitting his back. His blades turned into two white staves, his clothing turned into simple white robes, though his pants remained much of the same-only white.

His chest shone slightly, a pendant of light, covered by two scarves that slightly covered his mouth. Sacchi pulled his scarves slightly to speak, "Then I'll do the job." He spoke, his voice carrying a bit of an angelical aura.

Abel looked back at Metatron, whom stayed as stoic as ever, he then looked back to the Angel, "You're a Seraph. You have a higher authority than an Archangel." He spoke, "I'll leave this to you Sacchi, and his soul to your judgement."

Sacchi felt the honesty of his words, this form, this angelical form had been given to him as a last resort back during the war, by the one woman whom he now despised the most, and it too, was her undoing. He was a complete Seraph in this form, the highest form of an angel, almost as powerful as God himself, or at least, so he believed.

Though this form gave him great power, it clouded his thoughts, as a Seraph, he was entitled to both power and loyalty to The Lord, his thoughts could be easily clouded by both his pseudo-loyalty and arrogance.

Above all though, his thought could be easily clouded by the memories of the woman whom had given him this form, as this power came not from faith or any holy powers, but rather, from the Night itself.

Sacchi sighed, as a ripple in reality brought him to his destination.

_No matter how justified her goals were._ He thought _I can never forgive her for what she did._


	8. Companionship

_(From here on out, everything happens between the party and the Epilogue of the seventh chapter of Gray Desires, "United.")_

September 16th  
Wednesday, 2020  
11:12AM.

I deeply look at the sea stretching as far as the eyes could see, laying comfortably on my back in the beach chair.

I adjust my sunglasses as I gaze to my left, seeing Davis laying face-up this time on his own beach chair. His and mine were pretty close together, he looked at me and smiled slightly, I returned the smile.

"I guess it was luck." I hear a voice coming from the other side; June had spoken out as she gazed into the sea. "That we get an extra week of vacation."

"True enough." Davis replies, "Though with a man like that, I could honestly say that was his plan all along." He continues.

"Sacchi is unpredictable, I'll give you that." I reply. "Though he has a well-meaning heart, as far as I know."

"Aye, that I do."

The voice came from behind, I look back, raising my sunglasses slightly as I see the black-haired man approach with nothing more than beach shorts, I can't help but say that he's… Surprisingly normal. He's not particularly muscular, nor is he particularly thin; he doesn't seem to stand out _at all._ I also mentally thank him for the lack of his normal clothing.

"Speak of the devil." I reply, chuckling, "You just arrived?" I ask.

"Yup, having to sort stuff out with the government and all that." He replies, standing right between me and June. "Damn politicians." He curses slightly.

"Problems with the scene you caused yesterday?" Davis asks, "Not so much." Sacchi replies.

"It was more about me using the power of the army to abuse from a country that's barely standing on its own two feet." He continues, "I mean, sure, this might seem like an abuse, but they gotta know who saved the world, we are supposed be heroes, you know?"

"Abusing that doesn't really make us seem heroic." June replies, Sacchi chuckles, "Oh I know that too well."

"Though quite honestly, if this wasn't the USA, that scene yesterday wouldn't even have happened." He continues, shaking his head. "Ever heard of the saying that you could judge a country by how it treated its enemies?"

I nod in response, I can see June nod as well, I have the feeling that Davis also gives a nod.

"You could say much of the same for how it treats its heroes." He spoke, "The USA isn't particularly fond of their own heroes." He sighed.

"How so?" Davis asked, "That, I won't say." Sacchi replied. "Though I'll give you some research material: 9/11" he continued.

I looked over to Davis with a raised eyebrow, I'm… Not so sure what Sacchi means. Davis shrugs.

Sacchi then takes a few steps forward, "Anyway, good talking to you guys." He spoke, turning around and taking a few steps backwards, "But I gotta catch up with the guys from Omega, seeyall!" he continued, running in the direction of the guys from Omega.

The silence continues for a few moments, I look over to June, "I don't trust him." June says, "But… I guess he did save us."

"He has a good heart." I reply, "He's just… weird."

…

He walked in the sand and the light of the shining sun touched his skin, the humid wind of the sea feeling refreshing to the man, Sacchi could do little else but enjoy the moment, the very thought of being the beach.

Not many people knew – in fact, he could count the people who did with one hand – but Sacchi loved the beach, despite being generally closed to strangers and hard to trust, he loved the sea, the waves, the sun and the sand.

Some would say it was normal; after all, Sacchi was born in Brazil.

Though Sacchi was born far from a beach, the closest one was at least an hour ride by car, and by the time he had the age to drive, he was already living even farther away from the beach. He had very few memories of going to the beach, though the few he had were precious to the man. Most of them were back when he was still a child, some, when he was on his early teens, but none recently. This was Sacchi's first time touching the hot sand in at least seven years.

He walked slowly until he reached the beach chairs of the members of Omega, Raven and Eve laid in them idly, looking at the others play in the water, Ophelia stood by Eve's side, quietly waiting her next orders.

"Hey guys." Sacchi spoke, Eve raised her head to the man, "Oh, Sacchi." She said, turning her head forward again, "Problems with the government?" she asked.

"Many." He replied as the wind's breeze made his hair sway slightly, he closed his eyes to revel in the feeling. "Nothing I couldn't handle, though." He continued.

"They just don't understand their place, do they?" Eve asked, to which Sacchi laughed, "Apparently not." He continued, "Amazing how the country that was the most affected by the war is the only one being uncooperative."

"You can't really say that when we haven't extended our help to all countries yet." Raven commented, "Only Brazil's left though." Eve continued.

Sacchi looked to her, with a raised eyebrow. Eve sighed slightly, "We didn't want to extend help to them because we wanted your word, Sacchi." She said, "You're the most familiar with the place, after all."

Despite all the rumors and false beliefs about Brazil, Sacchi, being a Brazilian, knew the country all too well, most of the information about Brazil – or Latin America, for that matter – was false, most people thought about stereotypes. Sacchi hated that, always being compared to lowly stereotypes.

Sacchi knew the country and loved his country to death. The only thing he really disliked about his country was the government and the consequences such a corrupt government brought with it. Though the people, the land, _everything else_ were things the warrior could do nothing but smile at.

He sighed, he knew the stereotypes had one use, and that was what saved them during the war, the simple fact that nobody _cared_ for the very existence of Brazil made that the perfect hiding place for The Resistance's base.

Shaking his head, Sacchi replied. "No need." He said, "Brazil can stand on its own two feet. It always could." He continued, and it was true. Brazil had lived in the shadow of the USA for a very long time, but it was still a very, very strong country, the fact that Brazil was the least affected during the war also made it the strongest country economically speaking nowadays. Though thanks to its stupid stereotypes, not the strongest politically – that was _still_ the USA.

Thankfully for Sacchi, in the current state of the world, the Army had a lot more say than the USA could ever have.

"As you wish." Eve replied. Sacchi quickly looked around, but after a while he had to ask something: "Where's BG?"

Eve pointed to the right; Sacchi could see the body of the black dragon lying in the sand, bored. "Thanks." Sacchi said, walking to his companion.

BlackGuilmon raised his head as he saw his partner approach. "Took you long enough." He spoke; Sacchi waved his hand before sitting down by BlackGuilmon's side. "Politicians." Sacchi replied.

"Whatever." BG replied, lying face-down in the sand, laying his muzzle on his arms as if they were pillows.

"You don't seem happy." Sacchi spoke, "Relax a little, we're in the beach." He continued, starting to pet BlackGuilmon's head slightly. BlackGuilmon shuddered at Sacchi's touch at first, but quickly relaxed and closed his eyes.

"I am relaxing." He replied, though his tone suggested otherwise.

Sacchi smiled, continuing his gentle caress on BlackGuilmon's head and occasionally behind his ears. "You like it when I do this, don't you?" he asked.

It took various moments to reply, "Yeah…" his partner said, "Don't make a habit out of it though." He continued.

"Too embarrassing for you?" Sacchi chuckled.

"I'm not a pet." BlackGuilmon replied, "…So yes, it's embarrassing."

Sacchi giggled, he turned his head back to the ocean and relaxed as the wind's breeze hit him once more, he loved that feeling, the feeling of the calm, the peace and the quiet. Feelings he had missed indeed. In the past two years, he could barely have all that peace and quiet.

Though the beach was hardly the place for peace and quiet, it was a place for _fun._

He looked to his companion, "Hey, BG?" he said, BG replied with a half-awake "Yeah…?", Sacchi could not help but mentally laugh at the fact that BG was relaxing so much under his touch.

"Wanna go swim?" Sacchi asked, grinning.

BlackGuilmon opened his eyes slightly, and frowned to Sacchi, "Drop the joke." He replied.

"Oh come on, it's gonna be fun!" Sacchi replied, getting up.

"No." BlackGuilmon replied, but obviously, Sacchi never expected BG to give him request a "yes".

Sacchi grinned widely and quickly took one of BlackGuilmon's paws in hand, pulling strongly and running to the water "Wai-Wha-Hey!" BlackGuilmon shouted as he could barely keep up in two legs.

"Sacchi no!" he shouted, "Stop!" he continued to plead.

But Sacchi was not going to stop.

He continued to pull BG to the water as he plead, it wouldn't take long then. After about only half a minute, Sacchi pulled BlackGuilmon to a stop and forced him to sit down.

Sacchi put both of his hands on BlackGuilmon's shoulders and could easily feel him trembling, his eyes were closed, but Sacchi could easily see he was going to cry.

A smile formed itself on Sacchi's lips before he said "There, you can open your eyes now."

He waited patiently for BlackGuilmon to open his eyes, it took him almost a full minute, but the dragon slowly opened his eyes, Sacchi was forceful, yes, but he was not a monster. Sacchi had not dragged BG to the middle of the ocean or anything; he had dragged BG only to a place where the ocean's waves would barely hit their stomachs if they sat down.

BlackGuilmon looked at Sacchi, his eyes were only half-open, but Sacchi knew he could see his smile clearly. "There." Sacchi spoke, "No need to be scared as long as I'm here, okay?" he said. He felt like he was talking to a child as he moved his hand slowly to BlackGuilmon's face and wiped a tear away.

BlackGuilmon was scared of water, Sacchi knew. He had discovered that when, during a battle, BlackGuilmon was thrown in a nearby lake and almost drowned, Sacchi barely saved him in time. He didn't know _why_ he was so scared of water, but he took it only as a phobia, and like any fear, it could be overcomed.

"…Stupid." BlackGuilmon replied, Sacchi took a little water in his hand and poured it on top of BlackGuilmon's head, he closed his eyes tightly as soon as he felt the water touch his scales, but opened them again quickly after that.

"I don't know why you're so scared of water." Sacchi said with a sweet tone, "But I'll help you overcome it in any way I can." He continued, smiling.

BlackGuilmon simply nodded after closing his eyes.

The rest of the day was spent with the two sitting down on that same spot, nobody dared disturb either of them as the two of them spoke idly, Sacchi could do little else but smile at how much trust someone such as BG had placed on him.

BlackGuilmon, on the other hand, could feel nothing but shame.


End file.
